Stunned by his absurd question, I was momentarily speechless.
How could he ask how I wished to die?
"You are a mortal, after all. Your life will eventually decline, and the ambitions you harbor will erode and perish."
Night Bringer spoke as if he was genuinely curious.
"The end is inevitable. So, how do you wish it to be?"
"..."
"Speak, ultimate challenger. As you fight to prevent the world's demise, what kind of death do you desire?"
What kind of death do I desire?
Instead of answering, I slowly took out the will that I had in my possession.
After taking a deep breath, I fluttered it in front of him.
"This is the will I wrote before entering this battle."
"Ho."
A flicker of interest crossed the golden eyes of the black dragon.
And then, I,
Rip.
tore the will in half.
Although confusion filled Night Bringer's gaze, I ignored it and did what I had to do.
Rip, rip, rip-
Tearing it in half, and in half again- I shredded the will into pieces.
My hands trembled just from tearing the layered paper. Yet, after completely tearing up the will, I scattered the pieces on the ground and growled.
"This is my answer."
"..."
"There's no death I desire. The only thing I wish for is one thing alone."
I spat out the words.
"Life."
"..."
"For all my people... and for every life above this frontline, to continue living, embracing their potential."
"..."
"How it all ends, I don't know. However, I just want to see it. To see everything that unfolds."
Night Bringer slightly shook her head.
"What meaning is there in all this mortality? It's all destined to end in decay, a fate that will ultimately extinguish."
"So what? Just because everyone who lives will eventually die and the world will ultimately be destroyed, should we just lie in bed and wait for the last leaf to fall?"
"Such a peaceful end wouldn't be so bad, would it?"
"Perhaps. But."
- Brother!
Suddenly.
The image of a young boy, lying in a hospital bed in a coma, flashed through my mind.
"...But I want to see that child smile."
I blurted out aimlessly.
"I want to see him stand on his own two feet in this world, to live. In this hellish world where only the iron-willed can survive..."
"..."
"Yet, I want to see that child, who chose to live despite everything, finally smile."
Night Bringer gazed at me thoughtfully.
I met his shining golden eyes squarely and spoke with conviction.
"So, spare us. Night Bringer."
"...What?"
"Stand down. Give us, one more chance."
I stood tall, unflinchingly begging for our lives with dignity.
The black dragon seemed genuinely surprised, as if he hadn't expected me to take such a stand.
"Why should I? With a mere flick of my finger, you all would be dead."
"Don't you see, King of Nightmares?"
I raised my hands to point at my subordinates behind me.
Despite being utterly exhausted and covered in blood, their eyes burned fiercely, ready for battle again, my heroes.
"The last amusement this world can offer you is us."
"...!"
"We are the guardians who protect humanity. If we fall, what remains will be unimpressive. Humanity will weakly perish, and then... it will all be over."
The black dragon's face slowly twisted into a smile, whether because my words were absurd or for some other reason, I couldn't tell.
Just.
"Us being wiped out with a mere flick of your finger would be too vain, wouldn't it?"
I was merely struggling.
Ugly, foolish, and naive as it may be.
Somehow, one more time. To continue the game-
I would do anything.
As a player who has taken on the responsibility, by any means necessary.
"Such an ending would taste too bland, wouldn't it?"
"..."
"Stand down. And give us time. Time for us to prepare for the final battle..."
I neither bowed my head nor bent my back.
I boldly met his eyes, as if demanding something perfectly natural.
"As a King of Kings, facing me as a great challenger, for a grand duel."
"..."
Silence fell.
Then, with a wide smile, Night Bringer nodded slightly.
"You are a selfish king."
"..."
"If you had wished for a peaceful death, I would have granted it this time."
Looking over my people leaning on each other with wounds, Night Bringer continued.
"All of you could have escaped this painful life and met a comfortable end in the quiet of night. That would have been the greatest mercy I could offer."
"..."
"But since you chose to fight. As you wish, fight and die painfully."
The King of Monsters firmly planted his staff on the ground with a thud and raised his voice.
"I propose a truce."
"...!"
"The previous assault. And this assault. Both were violations of the rules by our side. Either the legions went out separately or joined together for the sortie."
Night Bringer nodded.
"If there had been a King of Kings before, he would have punished the sortie legions accordingly. But that guy is in seclusion now. Even the execution of punishment has halted."
"..."
"Instead, I'll impose a penalty on our side. Until the next great flood, we will not invade humanity. How about it?"
I nodded.
"Accepted."
"Don't be too relieved."
Seeing my face, which must have inadvertently shown relief, Night Bringer chuckled.
"The one to march out next time, during the great flood- will be me."
"...!"
"By then, this world will be doomed."
With a turn,
Night Bringer spun around, his long black hair swirling in his motion.
"Prepare yourself. Heal your wounds. Ponder on how to kill me, and flounder desperately. As mortals should... Burn your bodies and souls to stand against me."
"..."
"You said you wanted to see the child smile. Guardian of humanity."
With a tilt of her head, Night Bringer's golden eyes shimmered with a chilling warmth.
"I too, am curious to see... you cry."
...What?
When your modest hope is trampled and burnt to ashes, when that vain hope disappears, when even your firm spirit is broken, and finally, when destruction arrives before your eyes...
"..."
"How delightful it will be to see the tears you shed. Just watching will be a pleasure."
I had intended to remain silent if possible.
But I couldn't hold back and spat out a retort.
"You sadistic bastard..."
"Ha-hat."
He casually stepped forward, replying as he walked.
"Is there a king who does not enjoy inflicting pain?"
The black dragon, who had been walking, suddenly stopped and turned to the side.
There stood Dusk Bringar, her dress torn in places from the fierce battle and stained with blood, her long black hair a disheveled mess. Her beloved silver crown was smeared with soot.
Paying no mind to such details, Dusk Bringar stood proudly, glaring fiercely at Night Bringer.
"..."
"..."
For a moment, the black dragon, revived from the nightmare, and the half-dragon, inheritor of the red dragon's blood, stared at each other.
"...I see. The blood of that dragon continues to flow."
Muttered Night Bringer before he started walking again. Dusk Bringar shouted at his back.
"Are you ignoring me, black dragon? Is there nothing more you wish to say?!"
"..."
"My ancestors burned you to ashes and devoured you! I will ensure you meet the same end as back then!"
"Do not be mistaken, half-dragon."
Whoosh-
Night Bringer, with his chin raised, glowered. A level of Dragon Fear, far surpassing anything Dusk Bringar had ever unleashed, swept across the area.
"Your ancestor was a being so great, incomparable to a mere morsel like you."
Thanks to my [Unyielding Commander], our heroes were unaffected by fear, but suddenly, soldiers unable to breathe grasped their throats, gasping.
"Ugh...?!"
Even the formidable Dusk Bringar's complexion turned pale, and she staggered backward.
Seeing Dusk Bringar like that, Night Bringer scoffed and withdrew his Dragon Fear, then resumed walking.
"The only reason you can preserve your life now is solely due to the truce I declared with my own words. A king cannot go back on his word."
"..."
"Do not be impatient. Anyway, during the next great flood..."
Night Bringer lightly flicked his finger.
"I will annihilate everything, including you and the history your ancestors have built."
Crack!
The silver crown, a symbol of sovereignty over the Bringar Duchy resting on Dusk Bringar's head, was crushed pitifully and fell to the ground.
Drip. Drip. Drip.
Blood trickled down Dusk Bringar's forehead, staining her small face.
With a blood-stained face, Dusk Bringar, unmoving, glared at the receding figure of Night Bringer.
"See you again, mongrel."
Night Bringer, with a sneer, walked into the southern plains, disappearing into the swirling dust.
"I hope you can show even a millionth of the feats your ancestors achieved."
Eventually, the black dragon's figure vanished completely.
"..."
A long silence settled.
Despite the end of the long battle, everyone remained frozen in place, as if petrified.
Turning to look at my subordinates, who didn't know what to do, I finally managed to speak.
"It doesn't matter if it's by luck. It doesn't matter if it's by chance. Whether it's by coincidence or cowardice, whatever form it takes, it's fine."
I spoke desperately.
"We survived."
"..."
"To survive to the very end and fight is the duty of this frontline. And today, each of you has fulfilled your duty excellently. That is enough."
That is enough.
For us who have survived, that's...
After taking a deep breath and bowing my head, I commanded.
"...Ring the bell, light up the city. The battle is over. One by one, step by step... let's start doing what needs to be done again."
There's so much to say, so much everyone wants to pour out.
But there's too much to do right now.
"Send a messenger to the temple. The battle is over, prioritize transporting the wounded... no, set up a field hospital right here."
"Yes...!"
"There are still many wounded not yet rescued because it's dark. Those with relatively minor injuries should receive basic treatment and join the rescue efforts."
"Understood!"
As I issued orders mechanically and systematically, my confused subordinates quickly started to move.
People in shock and panic, people crying out of sorrow, people screaming from the pain of their injuries...
Everyone, with their expressions and voices, covered in blood and dust, rushed to various parts of the city.
"..."
After sending off the main party members with a gesture, who looked at me worriedly,
I leaned wearily against the flagpole, looking over the ruined south side of Crossroad.
‘It hurts.’
Can we rebuild the city, so ruthlessly demolished?
Can we heal the wounds carved into people's hearts today?
This deep pain, these scars embedded in everything, in everyone...
And the blood that will continue to spill here in the future.
How should I soothe it?
I felt suffocated by the overwhelming feeling.
‘It hurts too much.’
Faces of people who died today were superimposed on each ruined building.
I desperately closed my eyes tight, clamping my mouth shut to prevent a groan from escaping.
‘Why is it like this again...’
I'm supposed to be comforting others. I'm supposed to uplift and stand everyone up.
Why can't I remain composed, and why...
Why do I keep becoming so weak...
"Chuk..."
I reached my limit.
Desperately moving behind a collapsed building, I sat down, covered my face with my hands, and stifled my cries, sobbing quietly.
Thankfully, it was a dark night without a trace of moonlight.
People pretended not to know that I was hiding and holding back my tears.
Halfway through the third year,
The invasion of monsters intensified disastrously,
The World Guardian Front suffered the most significant damage since its establishment,
And destruction was relentlessly racing towards us.
It was a late summer night, as autumn drew near.
***
[STAGE 35 – CLEAR!]
[STAGE MVP – Ash(EX)]
[Level Up Characters]
- Ash(EX) and 109 others <Expand List>
[Deceased Characters]
- Skuld(SSR)
- Kellison(SR)
- Burnout(SR)
- And 52 others <Expand List>
[Injured Characters]
- Yun(SSR) and 197 others <Expand List>
[Acquired Items]
- Great Fly Magic Core(SSR): 3
- Mutant Entity Magic Core(SR): 188
- Normal Entity Magic Core(R): 519
- Individual Barrier Creation Artifact(SR): 44
- Fly Legion Magic Stone: <Tallying>
[Stage Clear Rewards have been distributed. Please check your inventory.]
- SSR Grade Reward Box: 5
- SR Grade Reward Box: 20
- R Grade Reward Box: 100
>> Get Ready For The Next STAGE
>> [Next STAGE: If the world was ending]
--TL Notes--
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